European patent No. 1394402A2 describes regarding a connector adapted as a connection portion between an injector and a low pressure fuel pipe in a fuel injection device.
In the European patent No. 1394402A2, the connector includes a cylindrical body portion having an insertion hole in which a connection member of the injector is inserted, and a connector cover which covers the cylindrical body portion.
The body portion is provided with a claw portion, which is engaged with an outer peripheral surface of the connection member of the injector when the connection member is inserted into the insertion hole of the body portion. The claw portion extends from an inlet portion of the insertion hole to a direction along the connection member to be connected, and is configured to be elastically deformable toward a radial outside of the insertion hole. Furthermore, a knob portion is provided on a side surface of the body portion, and extends in a radial outside of the body portion to be exposed outside from the connector cover.
The connector cover has a cylindrical shape having a cap at one end side, and is held to be slidable in an axial direction of the body portion.
In a connection state were the connector and the connection member of the injector are connected, the knob portion of the body portion is pushed toward the connection member in a state where the connector cover is positioned at a side opposite to the insertion hole with respect to the body portion, so that the connection member is inserted into the insertion hole of the body portion. Thereafter, the connector cover is pushed toward the connection member, so that the claw portion of the body portion is covered by the connector cover, thereby setting a lock state at which the engagement between the claw portion and the connection member of the injector is maintained while an elastic deformation of the claw portion toward radial outside is limited.
When the body portion of the connector and the connection member of the injector are connected, the body portion is moved toward the connection member along an extension direction of the insertion hole of the body portion. Thus, it is prefer to directly push an end portion of the body portion, opposite to the inlet side of the insertion hole, toward the connection member.
However, in the above connector, the end portion of the body portion opposite to the inlet side of the insertion hole is covered by the connector cover. Therefore, when the body portion of the connector and the connection member of the injector are connected, it is difficult to directly push the end portion of the body portion positioned on an extending line of the insertion hole. Thus, the knob portion which is not positioned on the extending line of the insertion hole is pushed toward the connection member. Accordingly, it is difficult to straightly push the body portion along the extending line of the insertion hole, and thereby connection operation for connecting between the body portion of the connector and the connection member of the injector cannot be easily accurately performed.